Heart of a Turtle
by Karategurl13
Summary: They were so tired that nobody heard the soft creek of footsteps up the stairs to their rooms. Nobody saw the animal shaped shadow moving along the walls. Nobody, not even Master Splinter, heard one door squeak as it was opened. Instead, they all slept snuggly in their beds, dreaming sweet dreams, not knowing three turtles were going to wake up to a nightmare.
1. Chapter 1

Hey! This is my first TMNT story so please go easy on me.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters below except for Rabbit eyes.

Shredder tapped his fingers rapidly as he waited for the new wannabe flunky to show up. He balanced his heel on the steps that led to his throne like chair. He was honestly so feed up with all of these mutants showing up, thinking that they can take on the turtles just because they are teenagers only to disappoint him. The cycle kept repeating and it was starting to tick him off. He could have sent Karai to finish them off, but they would be expecting that. Besides, he started to question her abilities after her failed mission with the O'Neil girl. It was downright embarrassing.

The large black doors in front of him opened. Two useless foot soldiers walked, dragging a tall man in a trench coat in with them. The first thing that Shredder noticed about him was that he wasn't shaking like a leaf like his other allies when they first met them. The creature's head was looking to the floor, but surely he would've heard stories about him from some scared soul. I mean, he was the Shredder. The confidence he had surprised the warrior. _Interesting._

Shredder stood up from his throne as the soldiers pushed the mutant down on his knees. Beady black eyes met his. There was no fear in them; only pain and the fire of vengeance that had already burned out the humanity in him. The creature reminded him of himself. _Uh, please don't tell me this is the Rat King I've heard so much about._ It burned Shredder inside to know that some guy who popped up out of nowhere managed to control Homato Yoshi even if it was for less than a day.

"What is your name?"

"Rabbit eyes." Before the ninja could ask him to, the man stripped off trench coat and hat. In place of his skin was snow white fur. His whiskers twitched as he straightened out the black jacket he was wearing. Shredder couldn't help but notice that one of his hands was only half rabbit. The other half looked like human bones that had been broken and fused back together in an odd fashion. A purple orb with gray clouds floated inside a necklace that laid just above his heart. Rabbit eyes' hind legs remained still as Shredder examined him. He did not fear him and if he did, the man was doing a good job in hiding it, although he didn't see why the creature wasn't. Even for a human sized rabbit he was still smaller than him and his muscles were nonexistent.

"You obviously have nothing strength wise to help me, but since you are a mutant you must have some sort of power. Show it to me."

Rabbit eyes smirked, snickering as if a power warrior wasn't in front of him ready to strike. "Now why would I do that? It would ruin all the fun."

Shredder couldn't hide his shock. A mere rabbit was defying him? The man could and has torn men in half for statements like that. He grabbed the animal by the front of his jacket and stuck his swords in furry face.

"I hope you know who you are talking to you filthy pest." Shredder's heart was pounding against his ribs. He had to remind himself to not let his anger make him do something he'd regret.

"Of course I do. You're the almighty Shredder; master ninja and ruthless killer. Arch enemy of the teen turtles and their master. I must say, I'm a fan of your work." The rabbit was fanned himself with his deformed hand and gave Shredder a goofy smile.

"Then you know what I can do to a man."

"Well I am obviously not a man…. anymore. But when I was though, I believed actions spoke louder than words." Rabbit eyes slipped out of Shredder's grip. _How'd that happened?_

"Mr. Shredder I know you are a very busy man with trying to take over the city and everything, so I won't waste your time any further with my presence. However, I will return and I will have what you so desperately want." He leaned close to whisper into the warrior's ear. "A turtle to play with."

Shredder felt his control of the situation slipping away for the first time. He needed to get it together now! "Alright rabbit, I shall give you a chance, but I will need to make sure you will return."

The rabbit reached inside of his jacket pocket and handed Shredder a picture of a little girl, no more than 7 years old. Brunette hair was done up in pigtails while she hugged her 4ft tall teddy bear.

"That is a picture of my daughter Opal. On the back is her current location. If I don't return in 24 hours, you have my permission to kill her."

_Across Town_

"Focus Michelangelo. A great ninja must be able to concentrate on multiple things in his surroundings in order to keep the upper hand on his enemy." Splinter watched his son as he struggled to balance on wire five feet above the ground while his brothers shot arrows with plungers at him.

The youngest turtle flipped and jumped repeatedly to avoid the arrows that his brothers were shooting at him. He was breathing so hard that he thought that his lungs had collapsed. Plus the shifting of the wire wasn't helping his stomach. All Mikey wanted to do was eat some pizza, beat Raph's high score on Skullracer 4 and go to bed, but he couldn't. He had to finish his training and his brothers weren't making it easy on him. Especially Raph. He kept aiming at the blind spots at his feet and back.

"What's a matter Mike? Does da baby want his baba?"

"Shut up Raph." Sweat dripped off his reptilian skin. His legs felt like they were about to give out. He was so close to betting his last time, he could almost taste it. However, a hit from Leo sent Mikey flying to the floor, landing flat on his face. His head spun in circles, but Mikey could still make out Donnie and Raph laughing at him. The youngest turtle pushed himself on his elbow pad when he saw a hand in front of his face.

"Better luck next time, Mikey," the honorable leader said, helping him to his feet.

"You said that last time dude."

Leo lost his composure for a second and involuntarily scratched the back of his head. Raph rolled his eyes and pushed his older brother out of the way. "He's only saying that because he has to dip shell."

"No he's not! Right Leo?" Mikey's baby blues pierced holes in his heart. Tiny prickles of sweat collected on his brow and his eyes shifted from Donnie to Raph_. Dang it, Mikey. Gotta come up with something fast. _

"Uhhh…. Who wants pizza?"

Mikey, seeming to have forgotten about the previous conversation, bounded up and down on his toes with his hand raised over his head. The youngest ninja only stopped when Splinter hit his cane on the ground, sending deafening silence throughout the room. The ninjas got down in a straight line and kneeled before their sensei.

"You have done well today, my sons."

"Well…"

"One word out of you Raphael and I will have you cleaning every inch of this dojo, starting with Michelangelo's room."

The muscled turtle gulped and bit the inside of his lip. He however couldn't stop himself from glaring at his snickering brothers.

"Tonight's training is finished. You may go, but make sure you are well rested for tomorrow. I have something…. special planned."

All four brothers turned pale. Every time Master Splinter had something special planned, they were left sore for weeks. They didn't get a chance to ask him to elaborate before he was gone with a swish of his robe.

After a mind numbing amount of Space Heroes, which Leo approved of, the team went to bed completely exhausted. Each of them was out before they actually hit their pillows.

_They were so tired that nobody heard the soft creek of footsteps up the stairs to their rooms._

_Nobody saw the animal shaped shadow moving along the walls._

_Nobody, not even Master Splinter, heard one door squeak as it was opened._

_Instead, they all slept snuggly in their beds, dreaming sweet dreams, not knowing three turtles were going to wake up to a nightmare. _

**Hope you enjoyed! Please review! =)**


	2. Chapter 2

I was so thrilled with all the love I got from just my first chapter. =)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters below except for Rabbit Eyes.

The icy pain of the cold metal against his wrists was the only thing that woke him from his sleep. His senses were so mixed up that he couldn't tell what was up or down. His eyes felt so heavy, like they could close at any moment, but he kept focusing on the dripping water near him. His vision was staring to clear up a little, but he knew for sure that he was no longer in the dojo.

Only now could the turtle tell that his ankles were chained down too and a thick leather band prevented him from moving his torso. The musk of something horrid smacked him repeatedly in the face. The wooden walls surrounding him creaked every time lights passed by the shattered window. _Where am I?_

As if on cue, the door swung up, making goose bumps appear on his legs. A human sized rabbit stepped inside with a brown bag in his hands. His shadow covered the entire doorway, like something out of a comic. His laugh made his heart jump. "Have a good nap sleepy head?"

The ninja tried to speak, but no sound would come out. He started silently screaming, pushing air out of his throat until it became hard to breathe. _What the shell is going on?_

"Don't waste your breathe. I put a voice locking spell on you so nobody will hear you. We don't want them interrupting our fun now do we?"

He felt like he was in a nightmare; that if he just closed his eyes and opened them again he would be gone. The turtle squeezed his eyes as tight as he could, but he was still there. So then he resorted to doing what any sane person would do. He started struggling, hard. The table he was on whined underneath him. The rabbit tisked at him and shook his head.

"Bad turtle. The only person whose allowed to break Rabbit Eyes' stuff is Rabbit Eyes. That's me by the way if you couldn't figure that out."

The ninja felt a panic attack coming on as he saw Rabbit Eyes pull out a gun. He had always seen them on tv and what not, but he had never seen one in real life. Yeah the Kranng had guns, but they were laser guns. These types of guns could rip through flesh or shell like it's nothing. He'd seen it in movies he'd use to watch with his brothers and it would scare them to death. Somehow his silent cries reached Rabbit Eyes' ears and villain turned to him. His large front teeth winked at him when he smiled. The mutant grabbed the teen's face and brushed his thumb over his cheek. He flinched at the strange feeling of his fur against his face. The hand traveled down and suddenly grabbed his chin. The mutant's other hand, which was hideously deformed, waved the silver gun in front of his face. The turtle could see his reflection in the silver handle. His mask, the only thing that defined him his entire life, was missing. He felt naked without it, like a part of him was missing.

Rabbit eyes put the cold weapon on his neck, making him shiver. He moved it lower, over his plastron, down his legs and back up again. "Don't be scared child. The fun hasn't even started yet. Now if you behave, I maybe won't use that one your brothers. Understood?"

He nodded his head even though he knew there was nothing he could possibly do from his current position. His eyes kept shifting to the door every few seconds, hoping his brothers would pop through it any second. The ninja's heart sank with every passing minute he was stuck with Rabbit Eyes. A glint of light flashed by his eyes and pain exploded his left shoulder. He screamed a silent scream. Blood swept through the wound, dripping down his arm. It wasn't that deep or deadly, but it wasn't easing his troubled mind at all.

The rabbit licked his lips, massaging his blood into his fur and onto the necklace he was wearing. The mutant painted the teen's blood over his lips almost like he was putting on lipstick. The ninja wanted to vomit and curl up in his shell, hoping to erase the image from his mind. _Guys, please get me out of here._

"Hmm. Note to self, turtles bleed just as easily as humans. Now the fun can really start."

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Master Splinter opened his eyes at exactly 5:30 am like he has done every day for the last 15 years to the minute. Usually he would be woken up earlier by his son's chasing each other around the house like wild (no pun intended) animals. He had to remind himself every now and then that even though they were ninjas, they were also teenage boys. He was also like them when he was their age, rash, stubborn, and girl crazy. Splinter's just glad that not _all_ of his sons had developed that last symptom of teenagism.

The human sized rat narrowed his ear and lifted his ears up. That's funny. Usually he'd hear the tv on or Raphael yelling at his younger brothers (Mikey). However, the lair was silent. Master Splinter stood up and rushed out of his room. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest with every step. When he entered the dojo, not only was it silent, but it was dark. This was not a good sign.

"Raphael. Leonardo. Donatello. Michelangelo." The ninja master didn't get a response. He clutched his chest and raced down the stairs. _Please, be ok._ The lights suddenly clicked on and he was hit with a face full of confetti.

"Happy Birthd" The voice was cut off by Splinter's reflexes kicking in. The rat looked up and saw Raphael with a handful of balloons and a terrified expression on his face. Donnie groaned on the ground, rubbing the spot on his chest where he had been hit.

"My sons, what is this?" he asked.

"Come on sensei, I know ya lose track of time when you meditate, but geez how could you forget your own birthday?" Raph said, helping Donnie off the ground.

The old master let out a sigh of relief. Ah, yes it _was_ his birthday. He hadn't really been into celebrations ever since he became a rat. The memories were too painful for him, but he tried for his sons. They were his everything. He'd give them the moon and all the stars if he could.

Now that the lights were on, Master Splinter saw the red banner covered in what looked like more confetti. The words 'Happy Birthday' were splayed across it with all his son's signatures on it. Balloons covered every corner of the dojo and it was surprisingly clean for once.

"Now before you say anything, Sensei, this was Leo's idea," Donnie said.

"Yeah. Since ya always take care of, we decided that we should take care of you for once." Raphael put a party hat on top of his father's head and led him to the couch. The old rat was touched. Even after spending so much time focusing on the Kranng, his sons still managed to do this for him.

"Where are Leonardo and Michelangelo?"

"Ah, they left early and went topside to pick up your cake from April's house. They should be back any minute now."

"Well since we're waitin', I gotcha a little present." Donnie elbowed him in the ribs. "Ok, _we_ gotcha a little present; it's from all of us." The hot head handed his father what looked like a deck of cards. However when he turned it over, Splinter nearly melted on the spot. The cards were tied together with red and gold ribbon. On the cover were the words "52 Reasons Why You're an Awesome Sensei and Father".

"April gave us the idea. She thought it would nice since we couldn't exactly buy you anything."

The ninja master ran his fingers over the deck. Each card had a different reason from each son, written in their favorite color. He had to take a deep breath before opening it because he knew he was on the verge of tears. The first message was written in blue ink. Of course, the first message was from the first born. _For all those nights you slept outside our door when we had nightmares, protecting us from monsters. _

The next was from Raphael. _You're calm enough to put up with me on a bad day._

Donatello. _You put up with my experiments; good and bad._

Michelangelo. _You taught me how to skateboard and didn't laugh when I fell on my face. _

Master Splinter's heart was melting into a puddle of mush below him, along with the rest of him. It meant more to him than any expensive gift could. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this much joy in his heart in the past 15 years.

"Sensei? Are you ok? We didn't mean to make you cry."

He was crying? He had to wipe his eyes to believe it himself. His sons were looking at him completely terrified. They probably hadn't seen him cry before. "My sons, this is…. the best gift anyone has ever gotten for me. I cannot thank you enough." Saying that Master Splinter was speechless would be an understatement.

"Aw man!"

The three turned to see Mikey walking into the lair with April right behind him. She had a decent sized cake in her hands. "I wanted to be here when Splinter opened his gift." The youngest turtle pouted and flopped down on a chair. His father chuckled and rubbed his head.

"Do not worry my son. I have a feeling this smile will not go away for a while." Mikey's baby blues lit up like a Christmas tree. April stepped around him and set the cake on the table. There was a single candle sticking out of the top of the white frosted cake.

"Do you guys have a lighter?"

"Oh, I'll get it! I know where Leo hides it," Mikey yelled, hopping out of his chair. Raph grabbed him by the back of his shell and pushed him down on the couch.

"Oh no you don't. You and fire is like mixing chemicals and water; it's not a good idea." Mikey stuck out his tongue at his brother's back.

"Speaking of Leo, wasn't he supposed to go with you to get the cake?" Donnie asked.

"News to me. I haven't seen him all day. I thought he was here with you guys."

And as if someone had pressed a button, the whole room went silent. Eyes shifted back and forth to each other as a cool wind flowed through the lair. Donnie pulled out his T-Phone and dialed Leo's number. A distinct ringing filled the air. Raph moved towards the source of the sound; the kitchen drawer. Swallowing his building fear, he flung it open. Inside was Leo's T-Phone and mask with a note attached. It only had five words, but those five words stopped his heart.

_Catch me if you can._

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Leo stared as Rabbit eyes drew strange symbols around his body, like he had been doing for the past hour. His arm had been cleaned and wrapped with thick, white bandages, but it still stung. Every time the mutant would get a symbol wrong, he'd scream and throw a fit. However, it had been awhile since he'd had one. _Whatever he was doing, Leo didn't like it one bit._ He tested the chains again, but it had the same result the other times had. The rabbit finally stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow. Leo's dried blood became wet and smeared across his forehead.

"Perfect! Now I can turn you."

"T-turn me?" The leader was surprised not only that he could talk again, but that his voice was so weak.

"It's a long and complicated explanation that if I were to tell you about would bore us both to tears so I'll give you the short version. You're going to kill your brothers and sensei."

The ninja's breath caught in his throat. "No. I won't do it. You can't make me."

"Oh sweetheart." Rabbit eyes grabbed Leo's face and made him look at him. "You'll be surprised at what I can make you do. _Nekrad siht s'roirraw traeh_ ."

The symbols surrounding the teenager began to glow white and float up from their spot on the table. They began to move in circles around him. It was getting harder for Leo to breathe. His heart was clenching painfully in his chest. Fog started to block out his thoughts. The symbols spun faster and faster above him. Leo arched his back in pain, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. The symbols blurred above him. A bolt of white lightning shot out and struck him in the chest. A scream ripped from his throat. The pain had inched into every part of his body until he was seizing in agony. Rabbit eyes laughed and laughed and laughed.

Then, it stopped. Leo laid still on the table, sweat dripping off his body. The symbols disappeared from sight. Rabbit eyes crept over to him and checked his pulse. _Good, it didn't kill him. _"Rise my son. Bring forth your darkness."

Leo's eyes, now a wolf like yellow, shot open. He ripped his bindings from the wooden table with ease. The leader kneeled before the rabbit, bowing his head so low it almost touched the ground. The mutant smiled and patted the back of his head.

"Ah, Leonardo. How nice of you to finally see the Light."

**Hope you enjoyed! Please review! =)**


	3. Chapter 3

_Happy Holidays =)_

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters below except for Rabbit eyes.

"Mikey quit frickin' pacing!" Raphael yelled, rubbing his eyes after watching his younger brother walk in circles for half an hour. He was drawing random shapes in the air and talking to himself, making him look like he was insane. The red clad turtle was squeezing the yellow stress ball April had gotten him a couple months ago. It usually worked for him, but not today.

Not only had Leo been kidnapped by some villain, but everyone around the hot head was cracking at the seams. Donnie locked himself in his lab, analyzing the note. April went to go watch Sensei to make sure he didn't meditate to the point of starvation. Casey was outside the dojo hitting hockey pucks against the sewer walls. So to put it simply, Raph was the only "calm" one in the situation, and those two things in the same sentence were never a good sign. Of course he was flipping out on the inside, but he had to be strong for his brothers. With Leo gone and Sensei's mind somewhere else Raph was in charge, although it was the one time he didn't want to be.

"I can't Raph. Leo was kidnapped. Not just kidnapped, kidnapped from here. Someone knows where we live now. What if he's being tortured this very minute or worse, what if they come back for the rest of us."

"Then we'll fight back," he said, shooting up from his spot on the couch. "We'll fight back with nun chucks and sais blazin'. I say, let'em come. It'll give me more practice for the real thing." The sound of Raph's knuckles cracking echoed off the walls. If that SOB or Bs came back, he'd be ready. He'd make sure all his brothers would be.

Mikey bit his lip and turned his head so Raph wouldn't see the fear riddled tears that threatened to spill over. He couldn't even think of a joke to make himself even smirk. Strong arms wrapped themselves around him from behind. Mikey struggled against Raph's grip, but he gave up and let gravity pull the tears to the floor. "What if he's dead Raph. Then what?"

"I don't know Mike. I don't know." If Mikey had turned around, he would've seen the small tear making its way down Raphael's cheek.

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It was dark. Darker than any place he had ever been in before. He sat in a chair surrounded by metal bars. The leader wasn't chained down or anything, but he couldn't move. The throbbing in his temples kept him from falling asleep. He felt so weak, so useless. He could see everything that was going on. He could feel his body moving on its own against his will, but he was trapped. Leonardo had been thrown down the rabbit hole and wasn't coming back out anytime soon.

TMNTTMNTTMNTTMNT

To say that Shredder was shocked would be an understatement. His eyes were wide behind his helmet as he stared at the kneeling son of his enemy. He was not broken or a sniveling mess on the floor. In fact, the ninja warrior couldn't even see a scratch on him save for the bandage on his arm. Rabbit Eyes rocked back and forth on his hind legs with a wide smile on his face.

"Excellent," Shredder said as he looked at Leo's eyes. Besides the obvious change in color, his eyes were much different. There was a darker, more violent power in them. It was incredible. If a person looked close enough, they could see a barely visible, gray cloud floating in the whites of Leo's eyes.

"Told ya I could do it," Rabbit eyes said, knocking him out of his thoughts.

"Indeed, you have. I am glad you have proved me wrong, rabbit." Rabbit eyes grinned wider and gave Shredder a deep bow. He then went behind Leo and squeezed his shoulders, scratching his nails down his arms.

"Rise child." To Shredder's surprise, Leo remained right where he was, not even acknowledging him. The warrior growled and pushed out the daggers in his glove. Rabbit eyes stepped in front of him with arms spread wide.

"Don't be so serious Shreddy. He only obeys me. It's only fair since I did all the work to turn him. Turtleboy, stand up." Leo did as ordered and stared at Rabbit eyes awaiting his next command. Shredder put his daggers away and crossed his arms over his chest. _Ok, maybe his power is stronger than I originally thought._

"Alright Rabbit, but how do you know he will not break free?"

"I already thought of that. Child, what happens if you disobey?"

Leo pulled out his sword and held it above his wrist. He pressed the tip into the skin. Red blood pooled at the top and spilled over the growing wound. His arm was shaking from the pain, but he was otherwise still. Shredder's eyes were wide. He couldn't believe a mere rabbit had this much power. Wherever it came from, Shredder needed it.

"Ok, I'm convinced." Rabbit eyes stopped Leo from hurting himself further. Blood dripped down his hand and onto the floor.

"Don't worry. I'll clean that up. Although, it does add color to the place."

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The scissors in Donnie's hands trembled, the silver reflecting the blue coloring of Leo's mask, his identity. After staring and crying over for nearly three days, the purple clad turtle noticed some pen tip sized dots on the material. He knew it didn't come from him, because he kept it sealed in plastic to keep from contaminating it. The scientist nearly cried himself to hysterics at the development, but once he started examining it, Donnie crumbled to the ground. The sample was too small to swab so in order to get anything, he would need to cut the sections out of Leo's mask. This was basically the only thing he and his brothers and Sensei had left to remember Leo by except his room, but nobody dared to go in there. With watery brown eyes, Donatello cut into the fabric. Each push of his fingers tore something out of his heart.

Meanwhile

Master Splinter was meditating or trying to in Leo's room. He wanted to try and see if he could still sense his son's aura in there. Also, it was the only place April wouldn't follow him to to make sure he was alright. However, that didn't stop her from sitting outside the door. The rat breathed in and out trying to center himself, but he couldn't focus. Splinter found himself staring at his son's room, savoring every speck of dirt and spot of water.

Leo's room was the cleanest of his brothers, which wasn't surprising. Every book, video, and game was organized in alphabetical order next to his desk. A waterlogged poster of Space Heroes hung above it with a circle drawn around what Splinter assumed was the leader. The rat never understood his eldest's fascination with the show. It was almost comical the way his eyes would light up every time the theme song would come on. Splinter sighed as the image of Leo's dazzling ocean blue eyes came into his mind. The warrior just hoped he would be able to see them again.

Splinter looked up from his spot on the floor at Leo's bed, the last place he was. It was the only thing out of place in the entire room. The sheets were half on the bed, half on the floor and his pillow was against the wall. Nobody had the heart to fix it.

"My son, I will find you and the creature who took you. This I swear." The rat stared at the birthday gift in his hands. He hadn't let it go since that day. Reading the messages inside was the only thing keeping him sane. #13 was up for today and as if fate hadn't already stabbed him enough in the heart, this one was from Leo. You know how to make me feel better. There was a picture with lightning coming out of it and a cup of tea next to it. The old rat smiled at what his son was referring to.

Flashback

Six year old Leonardo quietly walked to his father's room downstairs. His blue blanket trailed behind him, getting caught on the stairs every once and a while. The lightning nearly scared the poor child half to death. He didn't want to wake up his brothers during their naps, but he didn't want to stay by himself either. Once he was on the ground again, Leo practically ran to find his father. Master Splinter was in his room nursing a warm cup of tea when Leo ran in screaming, "Dadddddyyyyy!"

The rat gave a soft groan before catching the turtle toddler in his arms. And to think his headache was almost gone.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping, Leonardo?"

The small turtle snuggled against Splinter's soft fur. It brought a smile to his face to see his son smile. Another bolt of lightning shook the walls of the lair making Leo jump and squeeze his father for dear life. The rat rubbed soothing circles over the blue boy's shell.

"It is ok my son. Lightning cannot hurt us." The eldest turtle nodded, but his face was still in Splinter's fur. The poor turtle was still shaking like a leaf. That's when Splinter got an idea. He gently moved Leo's head from his fur and guided a cup of tea to his lips. The young child took tiny sips of it. It still surprised him that Leo liked tea at such a young age. It even took Splinter years to get used to the earthy taste.

"Sensei." Leo's voice was so quiet, the rat barely heard it. Master Splinter looked and saw fresh tears on his son's face. He instantly wiped them away with his thumb. "Don't tell the others I cried."

"Why? There is no shame in it."

"Yes there is! Raphie will laugh at me. He says only babies cry!"

He sighed again. Splinter really needed to work on Raphael and his temper. Even though Leo was the eldest, he couldn't help but believe some of what Raphael said sometimes. The rat man looked down at his pouting son and smiled as an idea came into his mind. "Smile my son or I must resort to other measures."

The blue masked turtle shook his head still. Splinter smiled and didn't give the boy a chance to think before he grabbed him and began tickling him for all he was worth. Leo struggled to get out, but he was too small. "Daddy, that tickles! Sensei stop!"

"My son, when will you learn that I always come through with my promises."

"Help me!"

"We help!" The three other turtles ran towards the two and pounced on their father and began tickling him. Let's just say, the lightning was long forgotten by the time everyone went to sleep.

Flashback

Master Splinter was smiling so hard his face was starting to hurt. He tried to fight the feeling of dread that was about to come over him. He wanted to savor the happy memory for a few more moments before he was thrown back into his dark place.

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Donnie was seconds away from passing out on his keyboard. It was way past midnight and he his body begged for sleep, but he needed to keep working. The sample was almost done scanning.

"Come on, girl. Come on. Don't give up yet. Leo needs you."

"Not exactly turtle jr…" A video popped up in the middle of Donnie's screen. The purple clad turtle had to slap himself several times to make sure his wasn't dreaming. In front of him was what looked like a twisted version of the Easter bunny, but that wasn't what he was focused on. The ninja's eyes were focused on the much shorter figure standing next to it with a black mask and ocean blue eyes.

"Leo?"

The rabbit rubbed the top of Leo's head, but the turtle just stared blankly into the screen. "I wanna play a game."

Hope you enjoyed! Please review! =)


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everybody! I'm so glad you guys enjoy the story so far.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters below except for Rabbit eyes and his special necklace.

Donnie was rooted to the spot. All he could do was stare at the twisted rabbit who had his brother. And speaking of Leo, why wasn't he moving? He was just looking into the camera with- were those yellow eyes? The scientist's hands shook as he reached under his desk to press the silent alarm button. He didn't trust himself to use his voice right now.

"Leo, talk to me. Please."

The now black clad turtle just remained still, staring at nothing. The human sized rabbit laughed at Donnie's expression. It rang out throughout his lab, sending shivers down his shell. The high pitch made his ears ring. The mutant put furry hands on his stomach and threw his head back in pure joy. The rest of Donnie's family came into the room to hear the sound ringing in their ears.

"Leo!" Raph yelled, running to the screen.

"Yes, we have already established that this is Leonardo. At least I know you're not the smart one," Rabbit eyes smirked. The hot head growled like a dog and raised his fist to the screen only to have Mikey pull him back.

"Dude chill. This is the only thing we have that can lead us to Leo." It was as if someone had spilled ice water on the flame of fury that burned his belly. Mikey was right for once. If he destroyed this, they could lose Leo forever. Sensei and his brothers would never forgive him and he wouldn't be able to forgive himself either. Slowly, Raph let his fist fall to his side. The prankster grabbed his brother's sais just in case he lost all control.

"What did you do to Leo?"

"You're not even going to ask me my name first? How rude of you. Well it's Rabbit eyes for your information. I admit it's not terrifying like Shredder or Tiger Claw, but it's better than Cotton Tail. I can't believe I even considered that name." The mutant smiled, showing the family his crooked teeth. The ninjas all shared a look. There was no doubt that the mutant was crazy, but that only made them worry more for Leo's safety. Who knows what he could do to Leo….. or has already done.

The red clad turtle glanced over to Donatello, who was quickly tapping away at his computer trying to hack into the signal. Sweat beaded on his forehead and reddish brown eyes glanced back and forth across the screen. Waves of codes swam in front of the scientist's eyes. He didn't look away for a second with the fear that he would lose something.

"Oh and don't even try and hack the signal purple turtle boy. Shredder's men already made sure that even you wouldn't be able to decode it." Donnie felt as if all the wind had been knocked out of him. He crumbled to the floor with an open mouth and brown eyes that threatened to spill over with tears. Leo would give up everything in order to help his brothers see another day, but the one time he needed their help, they were hopelessly useless. April kneeled down and hugged the scientist, but even that couldn't cheer him up.

"Where was I? Oh yes, turtleboy here's my little pet. It took some… persuading, but he's so obedient. I can do anything I want to him, unless you stop me." Rabbit eyes ran his fingers over Leo's plastron and shoulders. The teen's eye twitched and he opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"You cotton tailed bastard!" Casey and Donnie grabbed Raph's shoulders before he could take a full step forward. He would've easily broken free if it wasn't for Splinter pressing the pressure point under his neck.

"Tisk, tisk. Naughty boy."

"Just tell us what you want you twisted freak." The hot head struggled to get out. The pain from his neck was making his head hurt. He fell to his knees and only then did the hands controlling him let go.

"Riddle me this, riddle me that, what does the rabbit want for this brat?" The mutant rubbed his chin and tapped Leonardo's head repeatedly.

Splinter clenched his fist, but remained silent. All he could think about was Leonardo. He looked so lost, so broken. Those eyes were not his son's. They were made of darkness and fear and everything his eldest son was not. Raphael had finally had enough of the teasing and marched out of the room. The sound of his fists punching the metal walls was heard soon after.

"Aww, he's gonna miss the best part."

It took everything in Splinter not to shatter the screen himself.

TMNTTMNTTMNTTMNT

The hot head didn't even make it to the dojo; he just started throwing stuff around in their living room. Pizza boxes, metal tools, even the couch wasn't safe from Raph's rage fit. Once the turtle was exhausted to the point where he could no longer stand, he sat on the floor and pounded on the crate in front of him. It didn't even matter to him that it was made of wood. He just needed to break something. _It's my fault. My room was right next to Leo's. _

The happy memories between the brothers were replaced with scenes from all the arguments they'd had over the years, mostly all of them were started by him. Even when their fights got physical, Leo never looked like he did on Donnie's screen. The Leo on that screen looked…. evil. And those two things should never, ever, ever be in the same thought.

Tears slipped down Raph's face and mixed with the blood that stained the wooden crate. He deserved this pain. He deserved it for not being a good brother to Leo, for not listening to him on their missions. For all he knew, that villain meant to take him and Leo stopped it. It's something he would do in a heartbeat. The box was in pieces before him, but he didn't stop. He needed this punishment. A hand grabbed his elbow. The hot head didn't even need to turn around to know it was his father. He just turned around and cried. He cried more than he ever cried in his life. Splinter put his son's face in his shoulder and rocked him back and forth just as he did when he was a small child. He made sure not to brush his injured hand and bring more pain to him.

"It's my fault Sensei. It's all my fault," he cried.

"How so my son?"

"I- I- I woke up the night Leo was taken. I- I saw something, b-but I thought I was just tired." The red clad teen buried his face more in his father chest in shame. Splinter put a single finger under his chin and looked him in the eye.

"Tell me more."

"I-I I saw smoke coming from under my door. It wasn't a lot. I thought I was just dreaming. Oh no, if I got up, Leo might.."

"Raphael, do not think like that. What happened to your brother is horrible yes, but it is in no way your fault. You could not have known."

Splinter could already tell that Raph didn't believe him. He grabbed his son's hand and rubbed the redness the wood had created. His second eldest continued to cry for several minutes, but didn't say a word. Once his emerald eyes were dry, he looked to his father. "I won't let Shredder take you. I'll take on that rabbit freak, and the Kraang, and the best army Shredder has by myself if it means keeping you safe."

The rat sighed. He knew this was coming. "Raphael."

"We'll get Leo back another way. He wouldn't want this either."

"Raphael."

"Donnie can find anotha way around the fire walls and stuff. Mikey and I will stay up all night if we have to. I'll even start meditating if ya…"

"Raphael, for once in your life, listen to me!" The teen stared wide eyed at his father. He bit his lip to keep himself from talking. Splinter closed his eyes which Raph just now noticed were glassy and looked at his son.

"Raphael, the Shredder does not want me this time. He has set a much higher price."

"W-what does he want?"

The rat man clutched a hand over his heart and grabbed his son's good wrist. "He wants you Raphael. He wants you in exchange for Leonardo."

The world seemed to collapse beneath the red turtle. His breathing turned heavy. He just couldn't get enough air into his lungs. Before he knew it, he was on his forearms with Splinter rubbing his shell. His head was spinning from all the thoughts coursing through his brain.

"Raphael, my son, please relax." The ninja master held his son like he would disappear at any moment. It took a few minutes, but Raph finally relaxed enough to talk.

"W-why does Shredder want me?"

"Rabbit eyes says that you have the brute strength and courage he needs."

"Well what are we waiting for? We need to get Leo back." The turtle stood up, but wobbled on his feet. Splinter caught him before he fell.

"No, you are staying here."

"But Sensei…"

He pounded his cane on the ground to get his attention. "No! Shredder already has one of my sons. He cannot have another."

Raphael sighed and looked at the ground. Ever since he lost Miwa, he made it clear to his sons that he would do anything and everything in his power to keep from losing another. Why was Sensei choosing to save him over Leo? Leo was the perfect student, perfect ninja, perfect son. Raph was just the hot head who let his back talk get him and his brothers into trouble. He didn't deserve to be saved. The hot head sat down on the couch and hugged his knees to his chest. When the teen refused to meet his master's eyes, he sighed and started to walk back to him room.

"Leo would do it for me," he whispered, knowing good and well the rat could hear him. The old rat did everything he could to keep from choking on the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. He left the room without saying anther word.

Raphael growled and threw a magazine to the floor. He buried his head in his knees and told himself not to cry. The only way he was going to cry was if his tears could grant wishes and if that was the case then he'd bawl like a little baby with pleasure. The vibrating of his T-phone snapped Raph out of his thoughts. He almost didn't answer it when he saw it was an unknown number, but something told him otherwise.

"Uh, hello?"

"Why hello Raphael."

The red clad hero nearly fell out of his seat at the voice. He expected Shredder, but instead it was….

"Leo! Oh my… is that you?"

"More or less." This Leo's voice sounded robotic and cold, but Raph was still over the moon to hear his brother's voice again. "My master wants me to give you a message. Meet us at the run down toy factory at midnight or you'll be getting me back in pieces. Come alone." The line went dead and the hot head stared into nothingness. The phone slipped from his hand. He was out the door before he could even think.

TMNTTMNTTMNTTMNT

Leonardo handed the phone back to Rabbit Eyes who stood next to his bed. "It is done." The mutant smiled and brushed his hand over the turtle's cheek.

"Good boy." He rubbed Leo's knee and kissed his plastron. A knock at his door made them both look up. He went to go walk away, but Leo grabbed his hand.

"Please don't leave me."

"Daddy will only be gone for a moment." He rubbed Leo's head and stepped outside his room. Rabbit eyes smiled when he saw who it was.

"Karai."

"Rabbit face."

"Eyes, Rabbit eyes."

The female ninja pushed passed the over grown bunny and walked toward the mind controlled ninja. "Yeah whatever, Shredder wants me to kept an eye on you and Lameonardo." She tapped his cheek and stared into his eyes. They reminded her of Shredder and it scared her.

"Why does he care?"

She shrugged. "Who knows? He more than likely did it just to keep me out of his way."

Rabbit eyes stroked his chin and smiled as he studied Karai. "I'm guessing you two don't get along very well."

"Not lately. This whole vendetta is starting to go to his head."

He stepped closer to her. "I see."

Feeling a chill go up her spin, she quickly turned her attention from Rabbit eyes back to Leonardo, but he was gone. She grabbed the sword from her side, but it was knocked out of her hand. She was tackled to the ground before her sword hit. The now black clad hero sat on her waist with her hands under his knees. The tip of his katana tickled the edge of her windpipe. She growled and tried to figure a way out, but her mind was still recovering from the shock.

"Good work Leonardo." Rabbit eyes kneeled down. He brushed the side of her face, but she moved away from him.

"Get off me creep. Fath…" Leo pressed the tip of his katana deeper into her windpipe. If she took in too deep a breath, it would be punctured.

"Your heart's already turned so this will be easy. _Em yebo."_

Karai's face went blank and her eyes changed from light hazel to a dark purple. He motioned for his children to rise. Leo and Karai separated and bowed before him. Rabbit eyes laughed and rubbed his hands together.

"Finally, everything is falling into place."

**Hope you enjoyed! Please review! =)**


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everybody! Time to get to the main action.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters except for Rabbit eyes.

Five minutes past midnight

Raphael twirled his sais in anxiousness. The moon light glittered against the metal. He hoped this was the right building, because there were tons of abandoned toy factories in New York, but this was the only one that meant something to Raph and his brothers. Splinter always came here to get their mutation day gifts. Since it was shut down for so long, no one cared about what happened to the toys, lucky for them.

"Well, well, well. Look who showed up."

He growled. He'd know that voice anywhere. "Rabbit eyes."

The mutant stepped into the moon light. He straightened out his jacket and brushed his fur. "The one and only."

"Where is my brotha'?"

"Well which one? I mean you do have three not including Casey. How Splinter put up with all boys I have no idea."

The turtle growled, letting his inner animal show. "Ya know good and well who I'm talkin' about."

The oversized bunny hoped over to the younger turtle. He got so close to him that he could feel his breathe on his whiskers. He could see in the hot head's eyes that he was just a few more good jabs away from breaking. It was almost hilarious to see. Rabbit eyes wanted to see how far he could push Raph until he snapped.

"Well there is the purple one. He seems kind of wimpy to me. I bet he's also the smart one. I mean every group has a nerdy person. You know, I could've taken him, but he's not my type. Donatelly wouldn't put up much of a fight."

Emerald eyes narrowed and stared into brown ones. Not brown like Donnie's, but a brown so dark that it looked black.

"No, that's not it. What about… Mikey? Yes the orange energizer turtle. He's kind of cute, but I have a feeling he's stronger than he looks. Besides since he's the youngest, you guys would notice him gone. Those blue eyes though. They're so innocent- so pure. Though they won't be when I'm done with him."

The teen's body was shaking all over with fury. He was so close to blowing his lid he couldn't even think straight.

"Humm, who could it be? Ah yes, Leonardo- the leader, the eldest, and the one I had bent over my bed last night." The villain smirked at the last statement.

Raphael froze and dropped one of his sais in shock and horror. Did he just admit to…. he did that to Leo- to his older brother?! No, he must've heard him wrong.

"N-no. You wouldn't." His world was crashing around him.

"Oh yes. He's _very_ flexible by the way." He walked behind Raph and placed his hands on his shoulders. "The little spell I put him under kept him from fighting back. He was just lying there asking f"

The red clad turtle head butted the villain backwards and knocked him to the ground. All he could see was red. His whole body was on fire with rage. The turtle let out an animalistic growl as he smashed Rabbit eyes against the back wall. He punched the rabbit in the face over and over again, feeling satisfied at every crunch of his bones under his touch. Raph's fists were already sore for his early misery fit, but he didn't care. He took away Leo and his innocence. He traumatized his brother in ways that he may never recover from- he may never be that sane, stable, caring Leo that he- and his brothers needed and for that he deserved to die.

Once he thought his hand was broken or too bruised to move, the hot head began slamming his head back into the concrete wall. Red stained the gray of the wall and turned his fur hot pink. One of his eyes had turned lazy and just bounced along with the blows. He smiled at that. Good, he was causing him pain. He same pain Leo felt when he took what was rightfully his.

The teen threw him to the ground and watched in delight as his head bounced against the floor. His face was swollen beyond recognition. Blood dripped from his mouth and rolled down onto his chin. Every time he coughed, he could see where teeth had broken off partly and all together. Both of his eyes were swollen, but one was completely shut. He looked like a furry tomato with whiskers. The red clad turtle laughed at the thought and placed his sai at the villain's neck.

"D-do it. Y-you know you w-want to."

Yes he did, more than anything in the world right now. And even if he slashed his throat and blood sprayed on him, it wouldn't be noticed on his mask by anyone. He could where it every day as a constant reminder of the justice he did for his brother. His brother, who was still missing and possibly dying. He couldn't kill him. Leo would be lost forever if he did.

The hot head pressed the weapon deeper into his fur. "Where. Is. Leonardo?"

Rabbit eyes still had the strength to laugh. The teen threw his sai towards the nearest wall and impaled it into the wall. He grabbed the kidnapper with bloody hands and growled in his face. "You were an idiot to come here alone."

Metal sliced through the air and slashed Raph's hand and face. He looked up just in time to see a boot kick him in the face. He slid across the floor, tasting the dirt in his mouth. "And you dear turtle are an idiot for _thinking_ I would come alone."

"DADDY!"

Emerald eyes shot open. He recognized those voices. One belonged to Karai, who sounded much more emotional than usual and the other belonged to….

"Leo."

The said turtle hand his "daddy's" head in his lap and rubbed his injuries. He looked like he was about to start crying. Karai laid by his side with her face buried into his shoulder. He rubbed his hand up and down her back. The scene would've been heartwarming if it wasn't so creepy and twisted. The now black clad turtle looked over towards Raph and growled. The sound of it made his brother's skin crawl.

Leo pulled out his katanas. The hot head could see his reflection in the gleam of his brother's weapon. He tried to get up, but his muscles wouldn't operate. He assumed his landed harder than he thought.

"You're going to pay for hurting father."

"Leo, he's not ya father. Splinter is and I'm your brother- Raphael. Ya gotta remember. He's no family of ours."

"And you're no brother of mine." The eldest turtle ran towards the red clad turtle, but was stopped by the sound of Rabbit eye's voice.

"Stop child. The plan is already in effect and when we are safe again, you will have your revenge."

He growled and dropped his sword to the ground. Raph felt his heart break as Leo glared at him. It was a different type of glare that made him want to crawl into a hole and die. He tried to get up, but his muscles were complete mush. It was then that he noticed that his vision was warped and showing colors that didn't exist.

"Preptilin. It's a special poison I developed. It's deadly to humans, but it'll just make mutants like you ill. Couldn't let you die without having my fun with you first."

Raphael's eyes were so heavy. Everything felt so heavy, like his blood was full of lead. A hand grabbed his face, but he couldn't figure out who it belonged to.

"Nighty night creature."

A slap to the face sent him spiraling into darkness.

_Unknown amount of time later_

He woke tied to a wooden table. The metal was so tight around his wrist that he couldn't feel his fingers. Raph's head felt like it was filled with rocks and other heavy objects. His vision was still blurry and the lights above him were hurting his eyes. From the smell of the place, he was underground. He heard wind outside so he had to be near water. Donnie would be proud to see that he actually did pay attention when he rambled on and on about sciencey stuff.

As his senses came back on line, he noticed a hand rubbing his upper thigh- specifically, a furry hand. He jumped against his chains and tried to break free.

"Don't even bother, turtle. Those chains are reinforced with magic. No man or mutant can break free." Rabbit eyes came into his sight and Raph paled. He was completely healed. It was as if the fight in the toy factory never happened.

"H-how?"

He knocked the turtle on the head. "Hello earth to Raphael. Have you not been listening to me mentioning magic every two seconds? I'm a sorcerer."

Oh no. If he was telling the truth, then he was truly screwed.

"What did you do with my brother and Karai?"

The rabbit smirked and brushed his furry hand over his head. "They're resting- practically worked themselves into hysterics worrying about their daddy." The hot head growled at the d- word.

"You know Raphie. We don't have to be enemies. We can be partners- friends."

The red clad turtle's eyes widened. "I thought you were working with Shredder."

He smirked. "Oh please. I can't believe that walking pocket knife ever believed I would work for him. Little did he know, I was only there for his precious Karai. And now that I have her, he'll turn this city upside looking for her -which is just what I want. His minions will be perfectly distracted and dispersed along with your brothers, leaving nobody to stop my army from raiding the city. It's great isn't it? Seemingly crazy rabbit guy turns out to be the biggest villain of them all. Man, I should write a book."

Raph was really screwed now. And I man screwed up the East River and back screwed. "What do you want with me?"

"I may have all the power I need, but I need a partner. Someone who the people of New York will bow down to and does not show mercy. Someone like you Raphael."

"M-me?"

"Yes you. Did you really think Shredder would want anyone other than Splinter in exchange for his son? Don't make me laugh. The truth is, I need you. I've seen that darkness inside you. Back at the toy factory, I saw that will to kill in your eyes. You're just what I need. With my power and your strength, New York will be at our mercy."

The words echoed inside the turtle's mind. Why did it sound oddly appealing? He had to be messing with his mind.

"So what do you say? Partners in crime?"

The turtle smiled before spitting in the mutant's face. "You raped my brother. I will always be your enemy and I won't stop until you're dead in the ground."

He elbowed Raph in the chest, knocking all the wind out of his lungs. And the fact that he was lying down was not helping him at all. He gasped for air, but no would enter his body.

"Have it your way boy."

Rabbit eyes straightened out his jacket and walked out of his room with a slight limp. Once he got enough air into him. Raphael laid alone on the table and wept for Leo, his brothers, Sensei, and most of all, himself.

Hope you enjoyed! Please review! =)


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everybody! This chapter is sad and surprising. Enjoy!

Disclaimer; You know the deal.

He was screaming. He was screaming more than he ever had in his life, but no one could hear him. The only audience he had was darkness. He watched the entire thing happen, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. It was as if his mind was disconnected from the rest of his body. He couldn't move, but he could feel. He could feel everything. Tears were still streaming down his face just as they did when the attack started.

He weight on his shell, the feeling of the pillow against his face smothering him, the searing pain that would haunt his nightmares for Raph was stuck here because of him. What would he and the rest of his brothers think of him? Would they be ashamed to even call him their brother? He couldn't even protect himself, how could he protect the people he cared about most? Heaven only knows what he's doing to him at this very moment. A sob escaped him and he leaned over in his chair, his head touching his legs. Some big brother he was. The feeling of fur against his arms and legs kept him jerking in his chairs every few seconds either to drive him insane or keep him awake or both.

'_Oh turtle boy. I have a little show for you.'_

'_Leave me alone. Please.' _He couldn't help how weak his voice sounded.

'_Are you still upset over our little game?'_

Silence. Rabbit eye's laugh echoed in his mind. It made him want to vomit.

'_If you didn't want it, all you had to do was say so.'_

Leo squeezed the arms of the chair until he felt splinters piercing his hands. An invisible force lifted his head up and forced him to look straight ahead. The movie theatre like screen that had been blank since the attack came to life again. He nearly cried at what he saw.

Sensei was sitting in the dojo with his mask in his hands. He could sense that he was tired. Probably had been meditating non stop, hoping his sons would return. The rat rocked back and forth in his spot until he could no longer sit up without the support of his arms.

"Why? Why did it have to be my sons? Why not take me? I have already lost Tang Shen and Miwa to the Shredder. I can't lose Leonardo and Raphael as well. I will not be able to go on. Please bring my sons back to me."

The trapped mutant felt his heart squeezing in his chest. He couldn't get enough air into his body.

'_Oh don't start crying yet. We haven't even gotten to your brothers.'_

The image of his father disappeared and despite the fact he was chained, he still tried to reach out towards the screen. Donnie appeared on the screen this time and the eldest turtle wanted to vomit. Dark circles framed his reddish brown eyes and were blood-shot from being on the computer for so long. He was leaning over his desk with a hand on his head and a cup of coffee in the other. If you looked close enough,, you could see the tear stains on his face. It made the eldest want to cry. His little brother was suffering and there was nothing he could do about it.

'_He looks tired. Maybe when he goes to sleep tonight, I'll go to your lair and pay him a little visit. I'm curious to see if he's as flexible as you are.'_

The chair almost broke under his grip. '_Or maybe he'll slit your throat and dance on your corpse.'_

Leo smiled at the growl that came from him, but turned pale when he felt that invisible force creeping up his leg with an almost ticklish feeling. 'Naughty, naughty. I may just have to punish you if you don't shut your mouth.'

He bit his lip and dropped his head, ashamed at how easily he was giving in. A crash made his head shoot up. Donatello was throwing beakers, tools, and anything else he could get his hands on at the wall.

"Ugh, why am I so useless?! Raph and Leo are always saving me so why can't I save them?" Glass sprayed everywhere in the room.

The purple clad turtle banged his fists on the wall. "If I'm so smart, why can't I find them?" He continued to beat the wall in frustration until a hand wrapped around his from behind.

"Splinter, I'm fi-" He started, only it wasn't Splinter in his lab. It was Mikey. The youngest turtle had tears rolling down his cheeks and his baby blues were red from crying. Pieces of glass were in his arms, but he didn't seem to notice it.

"Mikey, what are you doing here? I thought you went to bed."

"I did, but I was afraid _he_ was going to come back. Then I heard glass breaking and Ithought…." The orange clad turtle collapsed to the floor. Donnie grabbed him and held his head against his chest, rocking him back and back. Mikey wept against him, clinging to him for dear life.

"Mikey, I'm so sorry. I'm not going anywhere, you hear me?"

"Don't say that!"

The scientist jumped at his outburst.

" Please don't say that Donnie. Leo always says that when I have a nightmare, Raph too sometimes and now they're both gone. It's like a jinx or something. I can't lose you Donnie. With Sensei the way he is, you're all I have left."

Donatello pressed Mikey's face against his chest and rubbed his shell in circles. He didn't care that tears were running down his face like a river. He was the only big brother Mike had left and the reality of that fact was setting in all too quickly. They needed Leo and Raph back.

"We're going to find them. And when we do I'm going to skin that rabbit alive and wear him as a coat."

The orange clad turtle looked up at him. "Me first." And for the first time since this all started, the turtles smiled.

The screen faded to black and Leo was sobbing so hard that he could barely breathe. Guilt slapped him in the face over and over again. All of this was his fault. He only had woken up a second earlier, maybe none of this would've happened.

'Hahahahaha. Looks like the turtle's leader's lost his backbone.'

He was right. He was no longer a fearless leader. The old Leonardo was gone and he was probably never coming back.

In Raph's location

Emerald eyes opened slowly, wincing as the light of the room hit his eyes. He had a sleepless night, but he was grateful for it. At least he didn't have a nightmare. As the sleep was wearing off, slowly realized that something was moving on his leg and it was going higher.

Raph jumped as far as his chains would let him. A laugh followed.

"My, my. Aren't you jumpy this morning." Rabbit eyes came it his view with that freakin' smirk on his face. The red clad turtle was tempted to spit in his face, but thought against it. If this guy was really magic, he could hurt Leo without even leaving the room.

"What do you want?"

"To give you one last chance to join me. Come on, I know you want to. Imagine, with us ruling the city, nobody can possibly stand in our way, not even your Sensei. You'll finally be your own turtle."

The villain was appealing to his dark side, but Raphael fought off the little devil on his shoulder.

"Not gonna happen Mr. Cotton Tail."

Rabbit eyes glared at Raph before grabbing his head, forcing him to look into his eyes. "Won enim era uoy." Mists of confusion came into his mind and clouded his thoughts. His struggling muscles started to become heavy and he felt a hand wrap itself around his mind. He tried to talk, but no sound would come out of his mouth. Before he knew it, darkness had consumed him.

Memories flashed in front of his eyes, memories of family throughout the years. Him playing airplane with Mikey, Donnie building them skateboards for their 10th mutation day, Leo sleeping for him when he had a nightmare, and Sensei tickling him until he cried. That last one was a memory he would never tell anybody about.

He had to fight. He had to fight for his brothers and Sensei. He had to get back to them. The red clad turtle crawled through the darkness that filled mind, kicking and punching anything and everything until he finally found a gray door at the end of a dark hallway. Raph ran towards it as fast as he could, but chains wrapped themselves around his upper plastron. He could see freedom slowly slipping away as he was dragged back. That's when he flashed back to the moment when he let go of Leo's hand and fell down the elevator shaft into Karai's hands, (follow the leader). Raphael already let his brother down once, he wasn't about to do it again.

The red clad turtle planted his feet and used all his strength to walk forward despite the chains. _This is for Sensei._

He didn't care that his legs felt like lead. _This is for MIkey._

He was going to save his family even if it killed him. _This is for Donnie. _

The door was just a few steps away. Chains wrapped around his wrists and waist, but he kept moving._This is for Casey and April_.

Raph reached towards the door, but chains wrapped tighter around. He gritted his teeth.

'_You won't win turtle. You're nothing compared to my power.'_

'_NO! This win is for Leonardo!'_

A fire exploded inside of Raph. He pulled and the chains shattered like glass around him. The ninja kicked opened the door and was blinded by the bright light on the other side. His eyes shot open and he gasped for air as if he had been drowning. The red clad warrior looked around and saw that not only was he free, but Rabbit eyes was groaning on the floor in pain. Now was his chance.

The teen hopped off the table and ran out the door. It was time to save his brother.

TMNTTMNTTMNTTMNT

Donnie and Mikey sat on top of one of New York's many buildings, their mask tails flowing in the wind. The trace on Raph's went nowhere. The phone call he got came from a payphone so there's no way to track it. They were stuck, but being in the lair with just the two of them was suffocating. They needed to get some air.

Mikey sighed as he looked over the edge of the building. He imagined Leo saying some lame superhero line and Raph making fun of him for it. The thought of it made him laugh for the first time. In fact, he started laughing so hard that he grabbed his cramping stomach and fell onto his shell. Donnie gave him a funny look, but couldn't stop the chuckle that came from him.

"What's so funny?"

"I-I was just thinking about Leo's lame lines."

"Oh yeah, those suck big time." Donnie sat down by his little brother and stared at the moon with him.

"Totally dude. Remember the old mother hubbard one?"

"That one just hurts to think about."

The two turtles went silent and just stared at the moon, just as they did as children. Mikey sighed and laid his head on Donnie's shoulder.

"Donnie?"

"Yeah Mikey?"

The orange clad turtle swallowed and continued to look at the moon. He really didn't want to see Donnie's reaction. "What happens if we don't find them?"

He sighed heavily before putting a hand on his shell. "We do what they would've done for us. We continue the fight. It's the only thing we can do." The older turtle bit his lip and played the splinter on the end of his weapon. As he was doing so, he noticed a shadow creeping up on them. Faster than he thought possible, Donatello twirled around and pressed the knife end of his bo staff into the neck of his near attacker. It only then that he saw it was Dogpound with Fishface behind him.

"Hey kid, we don't want trouble. This time," Dogpound said, holding his hands up in defense.

"Good because we're not in the mood. So unless you want to get thrown off this building, I suggest you move," Mikey said, twirling his nun chucks.

"At least listen to what we have to say first. It is common courtesy," Fishface added.

The two brothers looked before sighing. "You've got five minutes."

"Fine, but I only need three turtles." Donnie and Mikey paled at the new voice and nearly dropped their weapons in shock. Out of the shadows came the last person on Earth they wanted to see right now; the Shredder. The turtles readied their weapons when Shredder held his hand up.

"I don't wish to fight turtles. I want… to make a deal."

**Dun. Dun. Dunnnnnnnnn. What does Shredder want? Will Raph get out? With Leo? Find out soon. Hope you enjoyed! Please review! =)**


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everybody! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. The last chapter got so many. I considered giving up on this story, but you all motivated me to keep going! Shout out to yukio87, Typhlosion8, Firebird Scratches, TMNTFANGIRLFOREV, and prettyshon10. Also thank you to yukio87 for commenting on almost every chapter of my story. It means alot! =)

Disclaimer: You know the deal.

The two youngest of the Hamato brothers stared at the ninja master in front of them before glancing at each other then back to him. They had to be imagining things. This was the Shredder. The same Shredder that killed Splinter's family (Splinter doesn't know Karai's his daughter yet) and hired henchmen to kill them at least every other week. The same Shredder who hired the guy who took their brothers. Unable to hold himself back anymore, Mikey charged at the man with tears in his eyes. Shredder dodged the swings of the weapon, but he didn't attempt to hit Mikey even though he knew he could get plenty of good blows in. Any fool could see that his form was sloppy and could easily get him killed on any other day. The boy was fighting with his heart and not his head, but that was understandable considering his situation. Oh how he wanted to deliver that final killing blow, but that wasn't what he was here for.

"Master Shredder, are you sure this is a good idea?" Xever asked.

The ninja narrowed his eyes and grabbed the orange clad turtle's wrist. His grip was strong, but it wasn't enough to hurt him. He turned his head to the side and held his gauntlet out so it was in the fish's face.

"You question me again and I will make sure to finish what Raphael started."

The maroon colored mutant held his hands up in defense and backed up. Shredder saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned just in time to receive a punch to the jaw followed by a flash of purple. He stumbled on his feet, but didn't fall.

"You keep my brother's name out of your mouth." Venom laced every word that came from Donnie's mouth to the point where he wished they would melt into Shredder's skin and scar him for life. He pointed the knife end of his bo staff towards Shredder's neck.

Everything in him wanted to rip out the turtle's throat, but he had business to attend to.

"Fighting will accomplish nothing, turtles. I am not your enemy in this situation."

"Bull Shredder. You hired Rabbit eyes to take Leo and Raph and now they're gone. This is your fault and mark my words, if he's hurt them I will make sure my face will be the last you ever see."

"That is where you are wrong turtle. I only hired that rabbit to take Leonardo. I never said anything about Raphael."

Both turtles turned a sickly color of green. "B-but he said-"

"You act as if villains are honest." Faster than he could blink, Shredder got the bo staff out of Donnie's hands and threw it over to the side. The brothers gulped as panic threatened to swallow them whole, but another part of them wanted to hear what he had to say. Mikey and Donnie shared a look before nodding.

"Continue," Mikey said, putting his nun chucks away.

Shredder cracked his knuckles and then his neck. "That rabbit's job was simple. He would steal your brother away and return him to me where he would then order Splinter to take his place. He did that first part quite well. However, before we could move to phase two of our operation, he was gone along with that turtle… and Karai."

Donnie's mouth dropped open and if he had his weapon, he would've dropped it. This guy had the balls to mess with Shredder? I mean this is the same guy who kept a vendetta for fifteen years. He was either brave and lucky or brave and dumb.

"Now you turtles see that we are facing similar dilemmas." The young warriors tried to fight off the feeling of pity they had for Shredder, but they couldn't shake it. Nobody should have to go through what's happening to them.

"Are you seriously asking us to… help you? After everything you've done to us? Our family?"

"That tin can of yours must be messin' with your mind if you think we'd ever help you."

The orange and purple clad turtles turned to walk away when a scream stopped them dead in their tracks. Not just any scream. It belonged to Leo. The two whipped around to see Shredder displaying a holographic video on his gauntlet. Leo was screaming to the top of his lungs with symbols floating above him.

"What's going on? What is this?" Donnie asked.

"This video was taken by Rabbit eyes soon after he took Leonardo. In this moment, he is placing your brother under his control. His will is no longer his own."

"Wait, the walking magic trick can do that?!" Mikey yelled.

"Yes and I believe he has done the same to Karai. It would explain why she has not contacted me."

"Why are you showing us this?"

The villain closed the video leaving the turtles with the empty hole in their hearts that continued to get bigger. "The encryption on this video is too advanced for my men to crack. However, I believe you might be able to solve it." He placed a flash drive in Donnie's hand.

"And once I do we'll be able to find out where Rabbit eye's lair is." The older turtle's heart was filled with so much joy he thought it might explode. It would be a truly glorious way to die. There was hope. They could possibly get Leo and Raph back. He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the look on Mikey's face. He could read it like an open book.

"How do we know we can trust you?"

Shredder chuckled. "You don't, but I would like to believe that your brothers' lives would outweigh your uncertainty of me."

The Hamato brothers sighed and held the last piece of hope they had left. They really hoped they wouldn't regret it.

TMNTTMNTTMNTTMNT

Raph tried to keep his panting to a minimum as he ran through the dirt hallways of Rabbit eyes' lair. Every turn looked the same. The same brown color of dirt flew by him and puddles of water splashed around him. His legs were burning, but he didn't care. He had to get Leo out of there before Rabbit eyes decided to spend some more time with him. And if it was up to him, he would've finished that rabbit right there and then, but he couldn't. No matter how much he wanted to. Raphael refused to give up his honor to some low life coward.

The red clad turtle was too busy looking behind him that he tripped over a root sticking out of the ground and landed flat on his face. He groaned as he pushed himself up from the ground. Raph moved his ankles and knees to make sure they weren't broken or sprained. An injury was the last thing he needed right now. The turtle's head shot up at the sound of chains being moved around. He turned and saw a closed door just meters from him. The bluish silver metal of the door was caked with dirt and a red substance that Raph hoped wasn't blood. The hot head got up and pressed his ear to it. He could hear.. crying.

"Leo. Leo, is that you?"

A moment passed. A moment where Raphael would've sworn that his heart stopped beating.

"R-Raph? Is that you?"

Tears sprung to his eyes. Hearing his brother's voice was like music to his ears.

"Yeah Leo. It's me. I'm gonna get you out of here." The red clad turtle twirled his sais and used them to try and pry the door off its hinges.

"Please. Hurry before he comes back."

Raphael no longer trusted his own voice to speak. Hearing Leo sound so broken and fearful added fuel to the steadily growing fire inside of him. '_Don't worry Leo, I'm coming. Just hang on.' _With a strength he didn't know he had, he tore off the hinges on the door and watched it fall to the ground. He covered his eyes as the light of the new room nearly blinded him. Everything inside was white and shiny- like shiny enough to see your own reflection in the floor. The alcoholic smell of cleaning products made his head spin.

Once his senses adjusted, the red clad turtle looked up and nearly collapsed on the floor. Huddled in the corner with steel chained around his wrists and ankles was Leonardo. His head was pressed against his knees and he was shaking all over. Bruises covered his arms and what he could see of his brother's legs.

The turtle stepped closer to Leo and the leader whimpered a little louder. "P-please don't come any closer d-daddy. I was a good little turtle."

"Leo."

"I-I didn't try to escape! I swear!" Raph's heart was breaking into pieces and shattering on the floor beneath him.

"Leo. It's me, Raph."

The eldest turtle stopped shaking and lifted his head slowly. His tear stained face would be forever be imprinted on Raphael's heart. The hot head slashed the chains on his brother's wrists and pulled him into his arms. Leo didn't miss a beat before he started sobbing into Raph's plastron. The younger turtle's heart was aching in his chest to the point where he could barely breathe.

"I'm sorry Leo. I'm so sorry I couldn't get to you before he…"

"It's not your fault. I.. I should've fought harder."

He grabbed his brother's head and forced him to look him to look up at him. "Don't start Leo. Don't blame yourself for this. There was nothing you could do."

The leader's eyes fell to the floor. "Leo. Look at me."

He didn't move an inch. That's when Raph moved his finger against the sensitive spot on Leo's neck like he used to do as a child. Leo chuckled and tried to push his hand away, but Raph was so much stronger than him.

"S-stop it Raph." As the turtle was laughing Raph noticed his brother's eyes flashed from blue to wolf yellow then back to blue. It was so fast that if he blinked, he would've missed it. That's when his mind flashed back to the toy factory. _Ugh, I knew this was too easy. _The red clad turtle continued rubbing the spot and gave the turtle a forced smile.

"Nope. Not until I see that fangeek smile that you do whenever you see..uh what's that guy's name? Captain Bryan?"

The leader smiled and laid his head against Raph's shoulder. "I can't believe you remembered." Leo looked into Raph's eyes. He snuggled into his brother's shoulder and savored the warmth.

"That's the thing Leo. His name his Captain Ryan." The color drained from eldest's face. He was pushed on his shell with Raph's sais in his face.

"And a true Space Heroes fan like you would certainly know that. Right Leo or whoever you are?"

The fearful expression on his brother's face disappeared and was replaced with a cocky one that could challenge his own. Leo's eyes turned wolf yellow again and cracked his knuckles.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you are smarter than you look."

The black clad turtle swept Raph's legs from under him. The turtle landed hard on his shell. "But that's not going to stop me from destroying you."

Raph flipped out the way just before the katana could hit him. He tried to push his emotions to the deepest part of himself as he dodged Leo's blows. He didn't want to fight his brother like this, but he didn't have a choice. The whole city would be under the power of some crazy rabbit if he didn't stop him. All he had to do was pretend this was one of their sparring sessions. It was the only way he could get through this.

The two ancient weapons locked. Raph and Leo both held their weapons with tight grips, neither one wanting to give in. Once he was sure the leader was putting all of his strength into it, he moved his sais away. The eldest turtle stumbled on his feet and swiped his sword across Raph's head. He avoided getting his head cut off, but got a slice to his shoulder. Blood slowly dripped down his arm, but that didn't matter now.

Red and black charged at each other, weapons clashing. This time when their weapons locked Leo kicked Raph's legs from underneath him. He couldn't even react before Leo smashed his knee into his face before he could even hit the ground. The pain was making his head spin, but somehow he managed to focus. The hothead rolled his legs up and smashed Leo under his chin. The leader went flying back and hit the wall hard. The emerald eyed warrior took this moment to catch his breath. Sweat dripped from his brow and landed on the floor. When he look back up, Leo was gone. _Oh sewer apples._

Slowing his breathing like he learned years ago, Raph's eyes looked all around the room in search of his brother. A sudden kick to the back of his leg sent him to his knees, but he was able to catch Leo's leg before he got another blow in. He spun Leo to the floor and held his arm behind his back.

"Listen Leo. This isn't you. You need to fight it."

"The only thing that I need to fight is you." He snuck out the knife that was hidden in his wrappings and stabbed the turtle the upper thigh. Raph screamed and rolled over, holding his leg. The injury wasn't big, but it was deep and too close for comfort to his femoral artery. He removed it and put it on his side. He could use that later. The leader put his foot on Raph's plastron.

"You were a fool to turn down father's offer. We could use somebody with your strength. No matter, I will still enjoy killing you."

"Leo, you gotta remember who you are. This isn't where you belong."

"Yes. It is." The turtle stomped on his brother's upper plastron, stopping all air from entering his lungs. His windpipe spasmed as he gasped for air. Raph watched with wide eyes as Rabbit eyes entered the room and wrapped his arm around Leo. The kiss on the cheek he gave him sent hatred into his heart. If he could growl, he would.

"Very good, turtle boy. You've made daddy very proud." Leo beamed like it was Splinter talking to him.

"Now all you have to do…" The mutant handed the leader a silver gun. He sight of it sent terror through Raph's body. "Is finish the job."

Yellow eyes narrowed and he balanced the weight of the gun in his hands. The coldness of it appealed to him. He aimed the weapon at his enemy, but stopped when his father laughed at him.

"D-did I do something wrong?" He looked like he might start crying.

"No son, but I want you to make sure he won't survive it. Put it in his mouth."

Raph's eyes went impossibly wide and shook his head. Leo knelt down and ran the weapon along the turtle's skin. The cold made him shiver. He didn't dare look at it. Ever since he was a child, he and all his brothers had an extreme fear of guns. The metal weapon entered his already open mouth. The hothead's eyes became glossy and his heart began to beat even harder against his chest. He was going to be killed by his own brother.

"Do it my son. Make papa proud."

Leo's arm shook a little bit as he wrapped his finger around the trigger. Raph placed his hand on Leo's heart and looked into his eyes, trying to plead with him using that brother telepathy they had as young tots.

'_Please Leo. Don't do this.'_

The leader's eyes became glassy. Raph could feel his heart beating hard against his fingers. The villain growled and squeezed Leo's shoulder hard.

"I. Said. Do it."

The turtle put a hand on his temple and closed his eyes. The weapon in his mouth was shaking as it was cocked back. When he opened his eyes, one was wolf yellow while the other was ocean blue.

"I'm sorry, Raph."

The sound of a trigger being pulled echoed throughout the room.

**Please review! Sorry for the second cliff hanger in a row. Hope you enjoyed! =)**


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